Design for Death Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature of 1947....

Description

Design for Death Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature of 1947. Since 1929, the Motion Picture Academy of Arts and Sciences' annual achievement awards, better known as the Oscars, have been a symbol of the ultimate achievement in the various aspects of filmmaking. Approximately 40 awards are hand-crafted each year by R. S. Owens & Company of Chicago, and as of the 81st Academy Awards ceremony held last year, a total of 2,744 Oscars have been awarded. Despite the sheer number that have been produced and handed out, only a few have circulated amongst collectors of Hollywood memorabilia, due to the fact that a requirement has existed since 1950 stipulating that neither Academy Award winners nor their heirs may sell the statuettes without first offering them back to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for the sum of $1. If a winner refuses to sign said agreement, the Academy keeps the statuette. A 2007 Forbes article suggests that only an approximate 150 statuettes have ever been sold; often, the buyer returns the award to the Academy, which stores them in its vaults.
This Academy First Award for Best Documentary Feature was presented to executive producer Sid Rogell and producers Theron Warth and Richard O. Fleischer on March 20, 1948, at the 20th ceremony. Co-authored by Dr. Theodor S. Geisel (aka "Dr. Seuss") and his wife Helen Palmer Geisel, Design for Death was the commercial version of a 1945 U.S. Army training film that explored Japanese culture and the origins of that nation's involvement in World War II.
Made of gold-plated britannium on a black metal base, the statuette stands 13.5", weighs 8.5 lbs., and depicts an Art Deco-style male figure holding a sword standing upon a reel of film, a design recognized worldwide. The statuette is in Very Fine to Excellent condition with a few small areas of mild tarnishing and surface wear, and is firmly mounted to its base. This is a rare opportunity to own an iconic symbol of Hollywood and filmmaking at its finest.

More Information:

Since 1929, the Motion Picture Academy of Arts and Sciences' annual achievement awards, better known as the Oscars, have been a symbol of the ultimate achievement in the various aspects of filmmaking. Approximately 40 awards are hand-crafted each year by R. S. Owens & Company of Chicago, and as of the 81st Academy Awards ceremony held last year, a total of 2,744 Oscars have been awarded. Despite the sheer number that have been produced and handed out, only a few have circulated amongst collectors of Hollywood memorabilia, due to the fact that a requirement has existed since 1950 stipulating that neither Academy Award winners nor their heirs may sell the statuettes without first offering them back to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for the sum of $1. If a winner refuses to sign said agreement, the Academy keeps the statuette. A 2007 Forbes article suggests that only an approximate 150 statuettes have ever been sold; often, the buyer returns the award to the Academy, which stores them in its vaults.

This Academy First Award for Best Documentary Feature was presented to executive producer Sid Rogell and producers Theron Warth and Richard O. Fleischer on March 20, 1948, at the 20th ceremony. Co-authored by Dr. Theodor S. Geisel (aka "Dr. Seuss") and his wife Helen Palmer Geisel, Design for Death was the commercial version of a 1945 U.S. Army training film that explored Japanese culture and the origins of that nation's involvement in World War II.

Because it was originally awarded prior to 1950, this particular award is exempt from the no-sale rule and one of the few Academy Awards available to the public.

Made of gold-plated britannium on a black metal base, the statuette stands 13.5", weighs 8.5 lbs., and depicts an Art Deco-style male figure holding a sword standing upon a reel of film, a design recognized worldwide. The statuette is in Very Fine to Excellent condition with a few small areas of mild tarnishing and surface wear, and is firmly mounted to its base. This is a rare opportunity to own an iconic symbol of Hollywood and filmmaking at its finest.

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